Trouble on the South Shore...
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 12:15 am
Story link (includes video and photo): http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/35181669.html
By Reporter: Ryan Famuliner, WNDU
All South Shore train service was suspended for most of Thanksgiving Day.
The track was broken in 22 spots over a 10-mile stretch between Michigan City and Ogden Dunes due to a freight train's faulty wheel assembly.
The line was closed for most of the day, but by late afternoon the NICTD announced those tracks have been repaired, and trains would begin running again Thursday night. For the latest delay information, click on the link below.
Meanwhile, many in Michiana had to deal with the last-minute changes, at the last minute.
“Its bad the train is not going, that’s really bad. I’m going to give them a grade of “D.” Btu if they do this again, they’re going to get a grade “F.” This is not good,” said Lorenzo Kibler, who planned to ride the South Shore with a friend to see his family for Thanksgiving in East Chicago.
People who showed up to the South Bend Airport to catch a ride found out they'd have to find another way. For some that was a bus ride.
“It’s a little frustrating you know. Delayed a couple of hours, but not the end of the world,” said Aharon Saltzman, who was delayed on his trip to Milwaukee through Chicago. He caught a bus to meet a family member in Chicago later Thursday.
For Kibler, it meant having a friend give them a ride to Thanksgiving dinner, more than an hour away.
“Now he’s gonna miss his Thanksgiving dinner that he had planned with his friends,” Kibler said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) had a lot of work to do.
“Everybody's chipping in to try to get this done as quickly as possible and get home and enjoy their turkey dinners as well,” said John Parsons, the NICTD spokesman.
The damage was pretty much unpredictable.
“It was a freight train that was traveling through this area about 1:40 am (Thursday) morning. It had a mechanical failure to a wheel assembly; it damaged literally 10 miles of track,” Parsons said.
But it couldn't have come at much of a worse time.
“We feel terrible about this. We certainly want to extend our apologies to the traveling public… Were' gonna do everything we can to get service restored yet today so we can run a full complement of trains tomorrow because it will be a busy day tomorrow,” Parsons said.
The NICTD estimates 3,200 people would have ridden the South Shore Thursday.
By Reporter: Ryan Famuliner, WNDU
All South Shore train service was suspended for most of Thanksgiving Day.
The track was broken in 22 spots over a 10-mile stretch between Michigan City and Ogden Dunes due to a freight train's faulty wheel assembly.
The line was closed for most of the day, but by late afternoon the NICTD announced those tracks have been repaired, and trains would begin running again Thursday night. For the latest delay information, click on the link below.
Meanwhile, many in Michiana had to deal with the last-minute changes, at the last minute.
“Its bad the train is not going, that’s really bad. I’m going to give them a grade of “D.” Btu if they do this again, they’re going to get a grade “F.” This is not good,” said Lorenzo Kibler, who planned to ride the South Shore with a friend to see his family for Thanksgiving in East Chicago.
People who showed up to the South Bend Airport to catch a ride found out they'd have to find another way. For some that was a bus ride.
“It’s a little frustrating you know. Delayed a couple of hours, but not the end of the world,” said Aharon Saltzman, who was delayed on his trip to Milwaukee through Chicago. He caught a bus to meet a family member in Chicago later Thursday.
For Kibler, it meant having a friend give them a ride to Thanksgiving dinner, more than an hour away.
“Now he’s gonna miss his Thanksgiving dinner that he had planned with his friends,” Kibler said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) had a lot of work to do.
“Everybody's chipping in to try to get this done as quickly as possible and get home and enjoy their turkey dinners as well,” said John Parsons, the NICTD spokesman.
The damage was pretty much unpredictable.
“It was a freight train that was traveling through this area about 1:40 am (Thursday) morning. It had a mechanical failure to a wheel assembly; it damaged literally 10 miles of track,” Parsons said.
But it couldn't have come at much of a worse time.
“We feel terrible about this. We certainly want to extend our apologies to the traveling public… Were' gonna do everything we can to get service restored yet today so we can run a full complement of trains tomorrow because it will be a busy day tomorrow,” Parsons said.
The NICTD estimates 3,200 people would have ridden the South Shore Thursday.